Goblin Clearcutter MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Goblin
Released	2003-02-03
Set symbol
Set name	Legions
Set code	LGN
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	96
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Eric Peterson

Key Takeaways

Provides immediate board impact and strategic advantage through card advantage and resource acceleration.
Demands careful deck building due to specific mana cost and potential for card disadvantage through discarding.
Holds potential for combos and meta disruption, but efficiency must be weighed against high mana cost.

Text of card

, Sacrifice a forest: Add three mana in any combination of red and/or green to your mana pool.

"Did you know that wood burns even better than rocks?" —Toggo, goblin weaponsmith

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Goblin Clearcutter enters the battlefield, it has the potential to immediately impact the game by enabling access to more cards and strategies. This can lead to gaining an upper hand by having more options and responses to your opponent’s plays.

Resource Acceleration: This card can provide a significant boost in resource acceleration. If it includes abilities to untap lands or generate additional mana, it can propel you ahead of your opponent by ramping up your available resources to play high-cost cards earlier than expected.

Instant Speed: If Goblin Clearcutter offers flexibility with instant speed abilities or interactions, it allows for more dynamic and reactive gameplay. You can optimize your turns by making pivotal moves during your opponent’s turn or in response to certain actions, which can often catch opponents off guard and shift the momentum of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Goblin Clearcutter’s abilities may be powerful, but they come with a price—discarding. This requirement can put you at a card disadvantage, especially if your hand is already running low on cards. Strategic as it may seem, discarding a card can sometimes hinder your game plan by reducing your available options.

Specific Mana Cost: Another aspect to consider is Goblin Clearcutter’s specific mana cost. Comprising solely red mana, it demands a strong commitment to red mana sources in your deck. This could potentially restrict the card’s inclusion to mono-red decks or those with a heavy red orientation, potentially sidelining it from more diverse mana base strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Goblin Clearcutter isn’t just demanding in terms of color; it also has a relatively elevated mana cost. With a cost that may seem high compared to other cards with similar effects, it’s essential to weigh the efficiency of playing Goblin Clearcutter. There might be other cards that offer better versatility or a more favorable impact relative to their mana investment, making them preferable in a tightly tuned deck.

Reasons to Include Goblin Clearcutter in Your Collection

Versatility: Goblin Clearcutter brings a sense of adaptability to any red deck, acting as a potential game-changer whether you’re behind or securely in the lead. Its land destruction ability can disrupt opponents’ mana bases, making it versatile across various formats.

Combo Potential: When paired with cards that benefit from destroying lands or with those that allow you to play additional lands, Goblin Clearcutter can be a keystone in a powerful combo strategy, accelerating your own board state while hindering your opponent’s.

Meta-Relevance: In games where the meta is saturated with complex land-based strategies, including tron decks or those leveraging utility lands, including a card like Goblin Clearcutter can tip the scales in your favor, making it an intelligent addition to any collection aiming to stay competitive.

How to beat

Goblin Clearcutter could be a tough nut to crack on the battlefield of Magic: The Gathering. This formidable creature can be an engine for ramping up mana, allowing players to accelerate their game. Understanding its ability to untap lands is the key to tackling this card effectively. Like the famed Arbor Elf, which untaps forests, or the versatile Birds of Paradise, which can generate any color mana, Goblin Clearcutter’s capability enhances land output but at a higher cost and with a distinct limitation.

To disrupt the advantage that Goblin Clearcutter provides, consider using removal spells that can handle creatures regardless of their size. Methods such as Fatal Push immediately come to mind due to its low cost and efficiency. Alternatively, land destruction strategies can also hamstring a player’s reliance on this card—it removes the very resource that Goblin Clearcutter aims to exploit. Spells like Stone Rain or Ghost Quarter could effectively diminish its utility, placing you ahead in the resource game.

Targeted removal like Path to Exile or temporary solutions like Icy Manipulator can stall the creature’s benefits without prompting a land-based acceleration. By staying prepared to counteract the Clearcutter’s strengths, you will negotiate the game towards your tactical advantage and keep yourself a step ahead of the goblin’s cunning.

Cards like Goblin Clearcutter

Goblin Clearcutter presents a unique addition to the pool of mana acceleration cards in Magic: The Gathering. In this space, it shares a thematic kinship with cards such as Skirk Prospector, which also provides mana acceleration from goblins. However, Goblin Clearcutter stands out for its ability to potentially untap lands, giving you an edge in resource management. Skirk Prospector, in contrast, requires the sacrifice of a goblin to generate mana, which can be a steep cost for such an effect.

Another card to consider is Magus of the Candelabra. It possesses a similar land untapping feature, but it’s more flexible in its ability to untap multiple lands simultaneously. However, the requirement to pay mana to activate its ability can make it less efficient compared to Goblin Clearcutter’s self-sufficient untap potential. Then there’s Goblin Engineer, which, while not directly related to mana acceleration, synergizes with artifacts, potentially providing an alternative utility in goblin-themed decks seeking versatility.

Overall, Goblin Clearcutter carves its space among mana acceleration options with its unique untap ability, contributing a solid choice for players aiming to maximize their land use efficiency in MTG.

Magus of the Candelabra - MTG Card versions

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Huntmaster of the Fells // Ravager of the Fells - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Goblin Clearcutter MTG card by a specific set like Legions, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Goblin Clearcutter and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Goblin Clearcutter has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Goblin Clearcutter card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.